Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello there and
welcome back If this is your
very first time listening.
Thank you so much for stoppingby.
You are listening to Choose toEndure, the podcast dedicated to
the non-elite runners, where weshare stories, interviews, gear
and training tips specific tothe tail-end heroes of the Ultra
(00:22):
universe.
My name is Richard Gleave.
I've been running Ultras since2017.
I've taken on and finishednumerous Ultra distances, all
the way up through 220 miles,and I am unashamedly, a member
of the back-of-the-pack runners,just like many of you out there
.
Now let's get into today'stopic pacing, one of the most
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critical skills forback-of-the-pack ultra runners.
Whether you're battling cutoffs, like me, trying to avoid
burnout, or simply aiming tocross the finish line, finding
the right pace for you and forthe race is pretty essential.
So in this episode, we're goingto break it all down what
pacing means for runners like us, how to avoid some of the
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common pitfalls and, as always,along the way, I'll share a few
personal experiences, bothsuccesses and some missteps and
Lord knows, I've had a few ofthose so that we can all learn
together.
So let's get laced up and hitthe starting line.
Discover raw, inspiring storiesfrom runners who've been right
(01:36):
where you are.
This is the Choose to EndureUltra Running Podcast With your
host he's English, notAustralian Richard Gleave.
All right, so first let's talkabout what pacing really means
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for us back-of-the-pack runners,because I think it isn't just
about speed.
It's really more about energymanagement.
Our goal is to stay consistentand conserve enough energy to
make it to the finish linebefore the cutoff.
For us, the key isn't how fastwe're going, necessarily.
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It's how efficiently we'removing.
When you're in the back of thepack, you'll often feel pressure
to go faster than your naturalpace, especially early in the
race.
But here's the thing Startingtoo fast is one of the most
common mistakes runners make.
I would say it maybe even isthe most common mistake runners
(02:40):
make With all that adrenalineand noise and all the energy at
the start line runners make.
With all that adrenaline andnoise and all the energy at the
start line, it's really temptingto stick with the crowd, even
if the crowd is going a littlefaster than you want to.
But if you burn through yourenergy reserves in the first
half of the race, the secondhalf is going to be a whole
world of pain.
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I'll tell you at my first ultra,which was the lighthouse hill
50k.
I got caught up in theexcitement at the starting line,
with it being my first ultraand all, and I went out way too
fast.
By mile 10 I was alreadystarting to feel fatigued, and
by mile 20, when the sun hadcome up and it was baking hot,
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with no shade, no coverwhatsoever, I was in some pretty
serious trouble.
I barely made it to the finishline, but it was touch and go
for a short while.
But I learned a hard lessonPacing is everything, and you
can hear the rest of that storyin the very first episode of the
podcast itself, if you'reinterested in finding out what
(03:44):
on earth happened there, becauseit wasn't pretty all right.
So then, the next big questionis how slow is too slow?
Well, the reality is that aslong as you're staying ahead of
the cutoff times, whether thatbe to the next aid station or
the race in general, then you'renot too slow.
Period Ultra running, remember,is about completing the journey,
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especially in our world, at theback of the pack, not competing
with those front runners,although, that said, you do need
to pace yourself strategicallyso you avoid falling behind and
missing a cutoff along the way.
So here's what I recommendStart slow, even if it feels
like you're crawling.
The goal is to conserve energyfor the second half of the race,
(04:30):
when things start getting tough.
Use those first few miles tosettle into a comfortable rhythm
, Resist the urge to go with thepack and, if you think you're
going slow enough, go a littlebit slower Along the way.
Check in with yourself Are youbreathing easily?
Do your legs feel relaxed?
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If not, dial it back some more.
At a recent race I started at adeliberately slower pace than I
wanted to and it felt reallyweird, awkward and
counterintuitive at first.
But by mile 25, I had plenty ofenergy to power through.
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Meanwhile I saw other runnerswho had started faster than me.
They were really struggling tokeep moving at that point.
Started faster than me.
They were really struggling tokeep moving.
At that point it's really aboutgetting over yourself, getting
past your ego and recognizingthat all those people are going
to go out too fast and tellingyourself I'm not going to be one
of those.
I'm deliberately going to goslow, knowing that you can
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always pick it up if you feelgood along the way.
Don't get caught out by thatone.
It happens to the best of us.
I've still done it on occasion.
Every race I've been to, Iwould say people go out too fast
.
Even though they know theyshouldn't, they still do.
So don't let that be.
You Make a conscious decisionto go out slow and speed up as
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you go.
If you're feeling good that day, all right.
So another one of the uniquechallenges for back-of-the-pack
runners is, as we've talkedabout, managing those cutoffs.
Definitely something the frontof the pack, I would imagine I
would be amazed if they everthink about cutoffs, but it's a
reality that we live in.
To stay ahead of the clock, youneed a pacing plan that accounts
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for aid station breaks, terrainchanges, weather changes and
your inevitable slowdowns.
So here's how I approach itBreak the race into segments.
Focus on getting to the nextaid station or the next
checkpoint.
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Treat each section as its ownmini race.
You can go even further withthat and break down each section
into 10 minute increments, 5minute and 15 minute increments,
whatever it is.
Break it down into incrementsof running, walking or whatever
it is you're doing and focus onthat small block of time.
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Then you get to the next oneand you focus on that block of
time, whether that's a run forfive minutes, run to the tree
ahead.
If you're looking at the tree,it can be quite arbitrary or it
can be very structured,depending on the race and the
terrain.
But focusing on the smallthings, breaking it all into
segments, keeps you movingforward at the right pace and
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keeps you running.
Make sure you budget your timetoo.
If you know there's a toughclimb coming up, plan to move
faster on any flatter sectionsso that you can bank a little
extra, knowing that you're goingto slow down as you start that
climb.
One of the things I found reallyuseful and I'm able to do this
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on the Garmin watch I haveperhaps the watch that you have
has something similar, but I'mable to look in advance and do
some calculations for the raceto determine what the minimum
miles per hour it's going totake to run at to complete the
race by the cutoff, and then Iwill load that number.
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Whether it's two and a halfmiles per hour, three miles per
hour, whatever it is, I willload that number into a data
screen on my watch right on thefront there, so I can look at it
and see the average speed thatI'm running in miles per hour at
any given time in the race, andI know that if I'm above that
three miles per hour number, I'malways going to be all right
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during the race, no matter whathappens, and therefore that's
that's an average of moving time.
So whether you know that'sgoing to account for aid station
stops or sleep or whatever itis, that number is all I have to
focus on.
I don't have to worry aboutpacing for a section or anything
else.
It's really just.
It's a nice way of simplifying.
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I just need to be above thatnumber and as long as I am, I
know I'm ahead of the cutoff.
That works on a section tosection basis or you can do it
for the full race itself.
Great little tip and Ipersonally have found that very
useful.
So, talking of aid stations,here's another one.
Don't do what I do and lingertoo long at aid stations.
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This is something I have towork on quite a bit.
Still, it's really easy to lose15 or 20 minutes at an aid
station without realizing it,when everybody's working,
working for you.
You're waiting on food, you'vesat down, you're getting warm
for a minute, then you've got toeat and then you've still got
to repack your bag and keepmoving.
Really easy to lose that time.
(09:30):
So think about what you need onthe way into the aid station,
grab it and keep moving.
During 150k, I miscalculated mypacing, which is what led me to
doing the calculation in advance, and I spent way too long
chatting at an aid stationbecause, you know, volunteers
are nice and it was dark and itwas cold and I didn't really
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want to go out and onto the nextsection.
If I'm honest, by the time Ihit the following checkpoint, I
was really really close to thecutoff.
I had to well, I was going tosay sprint, but I had to move
quickly the last mile to make it, and that wasn't particularly
fun.
And so, since then, I have beenmuch more mindful about
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developing and sticking to apacing plan that tells me the
minimum speed I need to be goingin order to make that section
or the race in general.
So, finally, let's talk aboutsome tools and tricks to help
you stay on pace.
Well, number one, as I wastalking about there, use a GPS
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watch.
Set your watch to show youraverage pace and use it as a
guide.
Be careful not to obsess overit every mile.
Just focus on the overall trendof your speed instead.
Number two listen to your body,one we have to learn.
As we do more running, thisbecomes a bit more natural.
(10:53):
I think A watch is helpful, butyour body is the ultimate guide
.
If you're struggling tomaintain the pace you're running
at, whether it's on pace, underpace or above pace, whatever it
is, if you're struggling tomaintain it, you need to slow
down and regroup.
You can always pick it up againlater.
Number three practice pacing intraining right.
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Treat your long runs like arace day.
Practice starting slow,maintaining a steady pace and
then finishing strong, strong.
The more you rehearse thisstuff, the more natural it's
going to feel on race day andthe less inclined you are to
race off the line with the zoomyfolks and go way too quick.
And then number four is aninteresting one Find a pacing
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mantra.
When the going gets tough,repeat a phrase that keeps you
focused.
My own personal phrase is runyour own race.
That reminds me to stay withinmy own limits and I don't really
worry about what others aredoing out there.
I have enough to do gettingmyself to the finish line.
Genuinely don't care whatothers are doing unless I can
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help them get to the finish linetoo.
Great example During onetraining cycle I practiced
running negative splits startslow, finish fast when race day
came.
That gave me extra confidenceto stick to my plan and it paid
off.
I finished with loads of time,I felt strong, I felt
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accomplished and had a muchbetter time overall and had a
much better time overall.
So, to recap, here are the keystrategies for pacing.
As back-of-the-pack runners, inmy opinion, feel free to have
your own.
Number one start slow and focuson energy management.
Don't let the excitement at thestarting line throw you off.
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Number two remember that aslong as you're ahead of the
cutoffs, you're not too slow.
Find your comfortable rhythmand stick with it.
Number three break the raceinto those segments that we
talked about.
Adjust your pacing, stay aheadof the clock, but don't forget
to budget for aid station stops.
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And number four use tools likea GPS watch, practice your
pacing and training and rely onmantras to keep yourself focused
.
If those strategies resonatewith you and you're ready to
take the next step in yourtraining journey, let's keep the
conversation going.
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What's your best training tipfor pacing?
Do you have a mantra that getsyou through which others might
find useful?
Share and let us all know.
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(13:48):
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You can find me on Instagramand Facebook at ChooseToEndure,
or visit us anytime atChooseToEndurecom.
I would love to hear from you,whether it's to say hello,
suggest a topic or simply shareyour fabulous story.
You can also email me directlyat info at ChooseToendurecom.
I absolutely love interactingwith listeners, other ultra
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runners.
It's one of my favorite partsof doing the show.
Thank you to those that havedone so already.
I look forward to hearing fromthe rest of you.
So until next time, run long,run strong and keep choosing to
endure.